


You Only Get One

by Kupow



Series: Persona 5: Going the Distance AU [6]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, First Love, First Meetings, Flashbacks, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23502490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kupow/pseuds/Kupow
Summary: During their third year at Shujin Academy, Ren returns to Kamakura during Golden Week to visit his parents. As she promised to Inoue Amamiya, Ann accompanies him and learns that her boyfriend’s romantic history is actually a little more extensive than she thought...Takes place in the Going the Distance AU. If you haven’t read Persona 5: Going the Distance, then this fic has spoilers. Written for ShuAnn Week 2k20, Night In/Night Out
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Takamaki Ann, Kurusu Akira/Takamaki Ann, Persona 5 Protagonist/Takamaki Ann
Series: Persona 5: Going the Distance AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594675
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34
Collections: Shuann Week 2020





	You Only Get One

**Author's Note:**

> For people who haven't read the AU's longfic but want to read this, here's some Cole's notes:
> 
> At the start of the story, Ren is a second year high school student like always, but is also an amateur/high school level boxer. Has a loving family, girlfriend, etc. Then Shido happens. Various canon changes, but at the end of it good guys win, Ren ends up with Ann, and then finagles a way to return to Shujin for third year. He is also back to boxing. His parents own an inn in Kamakura. They visited with the gang after the end of second year.
> 
> Kaname Takeda is Ren’s surrogate little sister from his hometown, had a massive crush on him. At this point of the AU, she’s acknowledged that Ann has won, but still teases/pokes fun at her. Refers to Ren as 'Renpai' (he was in third year middle school/she was in first year middle school. Senpai + Ren = Renpai)
> 
> Songbird nickname comes from a chapter in GtD where Ann sings for Ren.
> 
> Bessatsu Margaret is a famous shoujo manga magazine responsible for some of the biggest hits (Ao Haru Ride, Kimi ni Todoke). In this AU Ren is a huge fan, up until Going the Distance ending (44 chapters plus another epilogue chapter) he claimed it was Kaname’s manga until it became a running gag amongst the group.
> 
> If you’re interested, check out the series page for the AU if you want to see a reading ‘order’/timeline. This one slots in after the start of Going the Distance XR between chapters 3 and 4
> 
> Also, the name ‘Ren’ can either be written with the kanji for ‘love’ or ‘lotus’
> 
> Further reminder: Kei-chan nickname derived from Ann’s first word (keikii {cake}).

May 3, 20xx 

Golden Week had gotten off to a dramatic start for Ren - a stunning KO victory in the boxer’s return to the inter-high circuit. After that though, things quickly calmed down. He returned to Kamakura to visit his parents and help out during the start of the _ryokan_ ’s busy season. And, as Ann had promised Ren’s mother during spring break, she had accompanied him.

It was too cold still to enjoy the beach, but the _onsen_ was always the perfect temperature. And moreover, there were the quiet nights spent with Ren's parents and the small staff employed by them, who already treated her like she was one of the family. But, Ann felt a _little_ dissatisfied. Since returning to Kamakura, it seemed like Ren’s schedule had completely filled up - he was either training with his old coach, Shinji Takeda, or helping out with the myriad chores and tasks that had to be done at the inn. This was, after all, the Amamiya Ryokan’s first high season since getting their license back.

She didn’t want to make Ren feel guilty or mention anything… but, she didn’t have to. Her boyfriend was as attentive to her as she was to him (provided he wasn’t boxing).

_‘Thanks for being so patient, Songbird. How about after work tonight, we have a night in together?’_

Ann sighed, sitting on the floor in Ren’s room, at the small table he had there. Work was running late. She perked up as the door to his room opened. Inoue poked her head in.

“Ah, Ann-chan. Sorry about keeping Ren for a little while longer.” Ren’s mother said.

“It’s fine, Kaa-chan!” Ann smiled. “We’re here to help out and visit you guys, aren’t you? Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do?”

“You’ve already helped quite a bit! You made the day of our guests by serving them their evening meals while wearing that kimono, dear. Did you show Ren, yet?”

Ann was in a turquoise kimono, with floral embroidery on the front, creeping up to look as though it was growing up to the left breast of the robe-like garment. It was completed by an _obi_ colored soft gold, nothing too garish. “Not yet.”

Inoue laughed. “He’s going to have a heart attack. You look gorgeous!” She stepped into the room, carrying a cardboard box.

“What’s that?”

“I thought you might like something to do while you’re waiting for Ren. You’d be helping us out, too. This is a box of some old belongings of his in storage… I’ve been after that boy for a while to actually organize some of these things, but he keeps procrastinating.”

“Oh! Well, I can at least sort this stuff to start… But this is really the kind of thing I’d need Ren for, isn’t it?”

“True. But there’s probably some _really embarrassing_ things in here. Like old assignments from elementary school, or old photos…” Inoue’s smile took on a mischievous glint.

Ann blinked, and then giggled, trying not to look _too_ eager to take the box from the petite Japanese woman who had Ren’s smirk. “Thanks, Kaa-chan.”

“Have fun, dear~”

Ann opened the box, starting to sort things into piles - pictures, papers, and trinkets. Her heart nearly melted at a crayon drawing of Ren and his parents in front of what was probably meant to be the inn, signed in kanji, incorrectly - using the character for ‘love’, rather than ‘lotus’.

_‘So cute~...’_

>>>

Ren walked back into the family quarters of the inn, taking off the _tenugui_ he had tied around his head to keep his hair out of his face while he helped out in the kitchen. His mother was in the family kitchen, working away at dinner.

“Do you need any help, Kaa-chan?”

“Not really. Oh! But you should bring that tea over there to your room. Ann-chan’s waiting for you, and she’s been working hard on that box I wanted you to go through.”

“Box? Which…”

Ren froze in place for a moment as he remembered what might be in the box. He grabbed the tray, moving as quickly as he could without spilling while his mother covered her laugh with the back of her hand.

He entered his room.

“Hey, Songbird, sorry that Kaa-chan asked you to do something so boring. There’s really nothing in the box that’s interesting—… ..”

He nearly dropped the tea. Some of the box’s contents were spread out on the table in front of Ann, neatly sorted. There were some old homework assignments, artwork, and pictures. The blonde was happily scanning some of them into her phone.

But, Ren hardly noticed. All he really registered was how his girlfriend looked, dressed in her kimono, sitting perfectly in _seiza_ at his table. She looked up and smiled. He stared blankly. It was almost perfect. All she would have to say was something like—

“ _Otsukaresama_! How was your day?”

And _there_ was the shot through his heart.

Ren sat down, feeling the pleasant heat on his face as he set the tray down. It was remarkable, really. In the past year, he had seen the stunning model in various states of dress (and certainly _un_ dress), but it was always sights like this, ones that appealed to the same side of him that kept him subscribed to _Bessatsu Margaret_ for the past seven years of his life, that got him flustered.

And judging by the fact that Ann had beaten him to pouring out the tea carefully, she knew it.

“I… ...uh, sorry to keep you waiting.” Ren picked up his teacup, trying not to gawk.

“Not at all, _dear._ ” She replied with a demure smile, her hands folded in her lap.

Ren’s eyes widened. He choked.

Ann laughed, stopping her little role play as she leaned over, thumping her boyfriend’s back. “I know you’re a closet romantic, but I still can’t believe how much this gets to you!”

“It’s completely unfair. Have you _seen_ how you look?” Ren coughed. He smiled, though, looking at memories from his past spread out over the table. “I’m glad you’re having fun, though.”

“Mostly.” Ann said, frowning.

“Mostly?”

Ann placed a photograph in front of Ren. It was of him and Reiko; both of them were in their middle school uniforms. They were standing awkwardly side by side at a temple - specifically, in front of the ‘love stones’ of the Jishu-Jinja in Kyoto, the fabled shrine to romance and relationships.

Ren raised an eyebrow. That was an old picture, certainly - in fact, if he recalled correctly… A light cough brought his attention back to Ann. She arched an eyebrow.

“You look awfully wistful there.”

“! Er… Songbird, that was a _long_ time ago.”

Ann’s frown broke into a teasing smile. She moved to sit beside Ren, bumping her shoulder into his. “It’s rare to see you lose your composure so easily, Wildcard. Did you really think I’d be mad about something like this? I’m actually more curious than anything else…”

“Curious?”

“Mm. Did you two walk between the stones together? If you went there on a date, why do you two look so awkward?”

“Oh! Well actually, that’s when Rei-chan and I just met, at the start of third year in middle school. We actually weren’t dating yet. Didn’t walk the stones.” Ren paused. “Do you really want to hear about this?”

“Will you tell me if I say yes?” Ann blinked at Ren’s quick, firm nod. “Really? I thought you’d need more convincing.”

“I’ve read too much shoujo for me to want to conceal anything from you, Songbird. If I hide it, I’m setting us up for a ‘Reiko returns’ arc. If I just tell you, it’s a nostalgic flashback that probably just brings us closer together.” Ren said earnestly.

Ann snickered. She then leaned comfortably against Ren as he placed the picture back in its album, recounting the story of how he met Reiko.

>>>

“Ne, Amamiya-kun~ Let’s go to the lucky stones together!”

“He’s not even in your class, Shinomori!”

“It’s not my problem if you’re too chicken, Himura— hey! Where did he go?!”

Ren clutched the wall around the corner, his _gakuran_ uniform in slight disarray. It was one of the times where he missed having Kaname around. Although he had a (careful) talk with her about how he just couldn’t see her as a potential love interest, the presence of his ‘little sister’ tended to keep girls from approaching him so brazenly.

“Ugh… Just _had_ to make a big deal of it, didn’t you, Hayato?” He muttered. Prior to and during the trip, his friend had made a big deal of claiming that ‘seventy percent of confessions happen during school trips!’. It was a fabricated statistic, obviously. Hayato’s intent had been to try to get some attention for _himself_ . But the boy had underestimated the effect of Kaname’s absence. Ren knew better than to complain about this to his friends, though - the boys would most likely just direct _more_ girls at him to mess with him. It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable talking to girls… He just had other things on his mind.

He sighed, finding a secluded bench away from the crowd of students and tourists. He pulled out a folded up piece of paper - his spring exam papers, marked up in a substantial amount of red. His parents would be disappointed… maybe enough to pull him out of boxing. Coach Takeda would scream his ear off, and _certainly_ force him to stop boxing. His gruff second father wanted him to be the best fighter he could be, but he had made it clear that Ren had to at least graduate high school before he’d let him take the pro route.

Someone burst into the secluded area.

It was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on.

>>>

“The most beautiful girl you ever laid eyes on until you met _me_ , right?” Ann grinned.

“Right.” Ren laughed, kissing her cheek.

There was a polite knock on the door, giving Ren and Ann a chance to move away from each other before Inoue poked her head in.

“Sorry to interrupt! Dinner’s nearly ready. Ren, can you set the table for five?” She looked at the picture of Ren and Reiko in Kyoto. “...Oh! Isn’t that from when you and Reiko-chan met, Ren?”

“Yep.” Ren stood up; he handed the photo to Inoue so she could have a look.

Inoue sighed. “This feels like a lifetime ago, with everything that’s happened…”

“You were there, kaa-chan?” Ann asked, surprised.

“Oh, no, not at all. Ren told me all about the trip, though. He met Reiko-chan at a bench on the temple grounds - apparently she was trying to get away from all these boys trying to confess to _her_. They ended up just seeing the sights together, until one of her friends caught them and snapped this picture.”

“So, they didn’t start dating at that time?” Ann stood up to follow Inoue out of the room.

“No. You see, after they got back from Kyoto, his homeroom teacher got in touch with me and Ken-san about Ren’s grades. They recommended he get some extra tutoring… Luckily, his middle school had an excellent student-led tutoring service. He actually ended up getting Reiko-chan. They clearly liked each other, but neither of them could work up the courage to move forward.”

“So what happened?” Ann asked. “Who confessed first?”

“Both of us, in a way.” Ren said. “I met with my homeroom teacher just before the summer break. She was happy about my grades, but was surprised to find out that Rei-chan was still tutoring me. It turns out that she only asked her to tutor me for a week, not for the two months before the summer break. When I found out she was stalling to spend time with me… Well.”

Inoue fished around the cardboard box, pulling out a notebook. “Ah. Here it is.”

Ren passed the notebook to Ann. “Just flip to the end, there.”

>>>

“Damnit, oya-ji, can you just… _go_?”

Kenji stood in the doorway to Ren’s room, grinning at his son. “It’s my house.”

“It’s my room.”

“Your extremely clean, well-kept room. Wonder why all the effort. Does it have anything to do with your extremely cute, graceful tutor who’s so far out of your league that you’re barely even playing the same sport--”

The butt-end of a white-oak naginata poked into Kenji’s back.

“Takahase-san is just getting her shoes off, Ken-san. Don’t you think it’s time we leave them _alone_?”

“...Aheh. R-right…”

“Thanks, Kaa-chan.”

“Mmhm! No problem, sweetie. Leave the door open~”

Ren felt heat rise from his neck at the implication. Reiko had been tutoring him since the trip to Kyoto in May; it was now the last week of July, just before the summer break. The two of them had gotten a lot closer over the past two months. Although Ren had never really cared much for school, he had started looking forward to these study sessions. They even had little rituals; Reiko would ask to see his notebook; he’d leave absurd little comics or jokes in the margins for her, even though his drawings were awful.

But, Reiko never made any advances, and Ren didn’t feel comfortable asking out a girl who had essentially been ‘voluntold’ to spend time with him - even if he found that he _really_ liked her. After all, for all of his looks, he was just a face-puncher who never really applied himself in school, and she was the daughter of the town magistrate, top of the class and destined for big things.

But earlier this week, he found out from his homeroom teacher that Reiko hadn’t actually been told to tutor him for more than a week. She had _chosen_ to keep spending time with him. 

She walked in, wearing a modest blue and white gingham dress. She smiled at him.

“Amamiya-kun.”

“Takahase-san.” Ren smiled back. A little stupidly, his father would have noted. She was _really_ pretty.

“Do you have your notes from your exam?”

Ren nodded; he slowly pushed his notebook across to her.

Reiko opened it eagerly, her eyes scanning the page not for the exam notes, but to find Ren’s latest attempt at a cartoon or joke. She didn’t pick up on the boy’s anxiety. Her eyes widened as she flipped the page.

“Uhm… I don’t think this is the right notebook?”

“It’s the right book.” Ren said, firmly.

Her eyes flickered down to what was written on the page again before she shyly slid it back across to Ren. She clenched the skirt of her dress with her slender fingers, a little smile on her downcast face. “Did… did you write it down because you were afraid of what I might say in response?”

Ren rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes. “...A little.”

“...You know, you should trust your voice, Amamiya-kun. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Ren took a deep breath.

>>>

Ann flipped to the back of the book; middle-school Ren had written simply, ‘I like you. Will you go out with me?’

She shook her head, laughing. “It’s… kinda lame, Wildcard. It’s like something out of the manga you read.”

“Heh. Yeah.” Ren shrugged, taking the notebook back.

“It’s a cute story, though…” Ann sighed. “I think I’m a little jealous. I mean, you only get one first love.”

The door to the family quarters opened - revealing not Kenji Amamiya, but Kaname Takeda. Kamakura was the violet-haired spitfire’s hometown too, after all, and she had returned along with Ren and Ann. She was also treated like a member of the family, and was apparently joining them for dinner tonight.

“Well. She wasn’t Renpai’s _first_ love.”

Ren rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t you--”

“It was _me_.”

>>>

Kaname Takeda didn’t have many friends growing up.

Her mother passed away only a year after she was born - she didn’t remember much about her, other than a vague sense of _warmth_. So, for as long as the girl could remember, it was just her, her father, and the ‘family’ of boxers she grew up around. They were an honest, caring bunch… but largely male, and largely ‘rough around the edges’.

So when the violet-haired girl started going to elementary school, the other girls quickly started to steer clear of her, labeling her as a ‘wild child’ - someone that their parents warned against associating with. As for the boys, Kaname found them either wimpy, or simply sore losers.

Until she met _him._

“Seriously? Is that all you’ve got? Aren’t you in third grade?” Kaname scoffed, standing over the black-haired boy who was two years her senior. She stood opposite from him, wearing her gym clothes and a pair of hitting mitts - not even boxing gloves.

Her opponent breathed heavily, his shoulders rising and falling with his breath. Kaname hadn’t even really tried to knock him down - rather, she just slipped a punch thrown with poor form, and the boy had just tripped over himself in his fatigue.

His grey eyes snapped up at her.

Kaname started to roll her eyes on instinct. This was where he’d either cry or accuse her of cheating, because she couldn’t have _possibly_ made him fall, and she couldn’t have _possibly_ lasted the three minute round of punching when it was her turn a moment ago--

“That was _awesome_! I can’t believe you have the stamina to do that with good form for three minutes. Can… can I try again, after I catch my breath, Kana-chan?!”

Kaname blinked. She then shook her head, pointing a glove at him. “That’s _senpai_ to you, Amamiya.”

“Technically, I’m older than you--”

She threw a hitting mitt at him.

>>>

“See? Love at first sight.” Kaname beamed at Ren. “You were so taken with me that even after I threw the mitt at you, you still spent all this time around me.”

“You were the only person in the gym remotely close to my age and size.” Ren rolled his eyes. “And when I dodged the first mitt, you started smacking me with the other one until I agreed to call you ‘senpai’.”

“Romantic tension.”

“Then when I still refused, you tied me to a punching bag with some handwraps.”

“Pretty cute, right Kaa-chan?” Kaname smiled at Ren’s mother, who was bringing dinner out from the kitchen. The matriarch just smiled sympathetically at Ren.

“And then you _used_ the punching bag. It really hurt, even though you were punching the other side of it.”

“But you stuck with it! And that helped wear me down. Then one day, you stayed late _just_ to show me you could wrap up your hands properly…”

“I stayed after to work on wrapping my hands properly so I could hit harder. I really fell in love with boxing.”

“And I’m your boxing trainer, _ergo_ , you love--”

“That’s a _huge_ leap.”

“You say that, but there was the time where you almost signed that application for a marriage license, Renpai.”

“I was _asleep_. I woke up just before you managed to get enough ink on my thumb to take a print in lieu of a signature!” Ren said, rubbing his face in exasperation.

“I’m sitting _right_ here, Kaname.” Ann said, sitting beside Ren somewhat possessively.

Kaname shrugged. “I can wait for the bird to sing forever, remember?” She smirked. “And no matter what, it’s like what you said. Everyone only gets _one_ first love--”

“Oh. Is that what we’re all talking about?” Kenji entered the family quarters. “Heh. Well, Kana-chan, sorry to disappoint you… The brat’s first love goes back a _little_ further than that.’

“What?!”

“Oya-ji, don’t you dare!” Ren was on his feet in an instant, darting at his father.

Kenji artfully slipped the jab, taking hold of Ren’s outstretched arm, throwing him to the ground, and pulling him into a _kimura_ arm bar. “You see, it goes back to the _reason_ he started boxing.”

“Ow! Ow ow ow! I’m tapping out!”

“Oh, no, kid. Y’see, this is a _special_ arm bar. The kind that only taps out with _honesty_.”

“I’ll never talk!--Ah! My shoulder! Stop!”

To the credit of Kaname, Ann, and Inoue, all three of them just calmly drank their tea and ate dinner. They were all used to the antics of the two men of the family by this point.

“Damnit! Fine! I got into boxing because I had a _massive_ crush on my teacher, Miyoshi-sensei. All the boys fought over who would marry her, and I didn’t want to lose! Let go of my arm!”

Ann burst out laughing. “ _Seriously_ ?! _That’s_ how you got into the sport you’re so passionate about?”

Kenji let Ren go. “Yep! Should’ve seen it. One day, he comes home all beat up, and comes crying to me. ‘Otou-sama, can you _please_ teach my humble, pathetic self how to fight? Or s-someone’s going to take Miyoshi-sensei a-away…’--Urk!”

Kenji fell to the floor, caught with a sucker punch to his solar plexus.

Ren’s eyebrow twitched, standing over his father. “Die _slow_ , you old bastard.”

>>>

After dinner, Ren and Ann went through the remaining contents of the box in his room. Kenji drove Kaname home.

“You know what’s the weirdest thing about all of this stuff, Wildcard?” Ann asked, with the beginnings of a teasing smile on her face.

“What’s that, Songbird?”

Ann held up the various drawings and art assignments over the years. Ren’s ability to draw was truly atrocious.

“You _never_ improved.”

“You’re one to talk.” Ren said, laughing. “Remember how you and Shiho became friends?”

“Well, yeah. My painting sucked. But this is on a whole other level. What’s this even supposed to _be_? An elephant?”

“...It’s a cat.”

Ann giggled.

Ren sighed, smiling. He reached over, picking up a particularly bad one. “...Wow. This one’s _awful_.”

Ann looked at the drawing - it was meant to be under the sea, that much was clear. But the only indication that the fish were fish was based on the fact that they were under the blue squiggly line meant to represent the surface of the ocean.

“You couldn’t even get _fish_ right…” Ann laughed.

There was a knock on the door; Inoue brought in some more tea. “Sorry to interrupt you two. Looks like you’re almost done!”

As she placed the tray on the table, she looked over at the drawing in Ren’s hands.

“...Oh! It’s been years since I’ve seen that one, Ren.” Inoue said. “The funny thing is, you didn’t actually draw that one.”

“Really? Did I take home someone’s assignment by mistake?”

Inoue shook her head. “No, not really. I almost completely forgot about it. You see, we were at Maxell Aqua Park in Tokyo, a short time before you started elementary school.”

>>>

Inoue Amamiya knelt down beside her five-year old son, fondly dabbing at the corner of his mouth with a tissue. “There.”

“Thanks, Mama!” Ren beamed at his mother, having just finished his ice cream. “Can we go see the otters now?”

“Just as soon as Papa comes back, sweetheart.” Inoue smiled back at her son, ruffling his hair. She had long since given up on trying to do anything with it - it was perpetually messy, but he _did_ look cute with it like that.

“Okay, Mama.” His inquisitive grey eyes scanned the crowd; he abruptly started pulling Inoue towards a children’s play area.

“! Ah, Ren-chan, not so quickly--”

He proudly stopped in front of a bench. “Rest, Mama!”

“...?”

“Papa said I should look after you before he left.” Ren said, matter-of-fact. Inoue wanted to burst out in amused laughter at how _cute_ he looked at that moment, but the little boy seemed so earnest and dutiful that she was afraid she’d actually hurt his feelings if she didn’t take him seriously.

“Ah, I see. Well, thank you, Ren-chan.” Inoue looked over at a little plastic picnic table that had been set up in the middle of the carpeted area. “Do you want to go color? It looks like they’ve got all sorts of pencils, crayons, and paper over there…”

“Mm! Okay. You’ll be right here, right?”

“Mmhm.”

She watched as Ren darted over to the table, plopping himself down beside a little girl in a baseball cap, who was also coloring.

“It’s almost a shame that they grow up, isn’t it?”

Inoue looked up to see a kindly looking older woman. She quickly moved over. “Ah, _oba-san_ , please sit!”

The woman laughed, delighted. “ _Oba-san_? Please, dear. I have grandchildren already, you know!”

Inoue shared the laugh. “Well, then I hope you’ll tell me your secret--”

Her phone buzzed. She glanced at it.

**Ken-san: Gonna be a few minutes. Need to teach someone some manners.**

Inoue sighed.

“Is something the matter, dear?”

“I think my husband is going to get into a fight. Here, of all places!”

“Oh, my. Which one is your child? I can look after him for a moment, if you need to find him.”

Inoue looked at the woman - she was a good judge of character, and this woman didn’t raise any alarm bells for her - but this was her only son…

The woman pointed at Ren. “Is that him? He has your smile, dear. He’s already sitting with my grandchild. Why don’t you introduce me? And we can also explain the situation to the play area attendant so that there aren’t any misunderstandings?”

Inoue sighed with relief - at both the offer, and at how this lady tactfully handled Inoue’s fear of leaving Ren with a stranger. “Thank you so much.”

>>>

“When I came back, you had this drawing. Apparently you traded yours to the grandchild of the nice lady who looked after you for a bit… I never saw the girl again, though. Her mother came by to collect her, and it was just that lady who stuck around to make sure I came back. You refused to let it out of your sight until you started school, saying that ‘Keiko-chan’ gave it to you, and that it was special.”

Ann raised an eyebrow at Ren. “Wow, Wildcard. Breaking hearts from an early age. You’re not going to tell me she was your ‘promised girl’ from your childhood now, are you?”

Ren shrugged. “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful? Though, you’re not wrong. This _does_ set up the possibility of another arc in our relationship, where ‘Keiko-chan’ comes back into my life at the worst possible time, like at our wedding or something.”

“That’s not funny.” Ann couldn’t help but smile a little at the thought of them getting married.

“Then why are you smiling?” Ren grinned. “It wouldn’t be because I casually dropped the idea of us getting married into this conversation--ouch!”

Inoue stood behind Ren, where she had just casually rapped the back of his head with a knuckle. “I certainly hope you don’t turn your _actual_ proposal into a joke, Ren.” She smiled at Ann. “It’s getting late, Ann-chan. If you want to take a dip in the onsen, it would be a good time.”

>>>

Ann leaned back in the water of the women’s onsen at the inn, a little smile on her face as she rested her head back on the towel she had folded up to serve as her pillow. The water was perfect, as usual. And it was perfectly quiet, despite the presence of a few other guests. The stories about Ren’s past loves (and Kaname, as that wasn’t so much a love story as it was a horror story) hadn’t bothered her as much as it might have when they first started dating. After all, while she couldn’t be Ren’s first love, she had every intention of being his last.

 _‘Still, though…’_ Ann thought, as the soft sounds and heat of the water lulled her to sleep. _‘It would have been nice…’_

>>>

_‘Do you like baseball?’_

_‘Not really.’_

_‘Then why are you wearing that hat?’_

_‘...Promise you won’t think I’m weird?’_

_‘Promise.’_

_‘!! You’re staring! You think it’s weird!’_

_‘No! I… I think your hair’s really pretty! Just like you!’_

>>>

Ann sputtered awake as she nearly slid under the surface of the water, her splashing startling the other bathers. Most of them just smiled at the girl or chuckled lightly - the Amamiya onsen was known to be particularly relaxing, and Ann was far from the first person to fall victim to the waters.

Sheepishly, Ann got out of the pool, heading back to her room.

 _‘What was that…?’_ Ann shook her head, changing into her pyjamas. She reached for her phone as it started ringing.

“Hello?”

“Kei-chan! Is everything okay? You were supposed to call me an hour ago!”

“Ah, sorry Bachan. I fell asleep in the bath.”

Bachan clicked her tongue admonishingly. “That’s a good way to catch a cold, Kei-chan.”

“It’s an onsen, Bachan! The water’s warm!”

“Still…” She chuckled. “I hope you’re having a good time?”

“I am! ...Say, Bachan? Can I ask you something weird?”

“Hm?”

“Did I ever go to the aquarium?”

“What a silly question. Of course you did. When you were in middle school, you--”

“Ah, sorry, Bachan. I meant when I was _really_ little.”

“Oh. No, then.”

Ann couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. _‘Probably just a weird dream--’_

“...Ah… I almost forgot, actually.” Bachan paused. “Your parents and I took you to Maxell Aqua Park, a few weeks before you three were due to move to the US. There wasn’t much to it, Kei-chan. We didn’t get to spend much time there… Your father got mixed up in some silly disagreement, and we ended up having to leave the park. You still seemed to have a good time, though. You were so sad that we had to go… Probably because of the little friend you made. Such a cute boy. He traded you this picture he drew-- Oh, you know, I think I still have it? I held on to it after you moved.”

Another long pause. Ann’s heart flipped somersaults in her chest. This sort of thing didn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter. But still, she sat frozen on the tatami, forgetting to breathe.

“...Yes! Here it is. Such an odd name. He signed the back with the character for ‘love’, though I can’t imagine anyone naming their boy ‘Koi’, or ‘Ko’... I wonder if it was a nickname? After all, we called you ‘Kei-chan’ so much that for a little while, you started writing your name like that--”

“Bachan, I have to go. Can you text me a picture of the drawing?”

>>>

Ren sat in his room as he looked over the picture in his hand, the one drawn by ‘Keiko-chan’. He smiled slightly, trying to remember what the girl looked like. It was such an old memory, though, and he was so _little_. He flipped the picture over on a whim. On the bottom corner, there was a little message written in childish script.

_‘I really liked coloring with you, Ren-chan! Thanks for not thinking my hair is weird. Love, Kei.’_

“...Heh.” For some reason, the message made him feel nostalgic. Though, he wasn’t sure why he’d ever find someone’s hair ‘weird’, particularly at that age. “Not ‘Keiko’ after all… …”

Ren froze. He knew someone else who was called ‘Kei-chan’. Someone who had been called Kei-chan from an early age, as a matter of fact.

He looked up as his door was abruptly slid open. Ann stood there, looking a little breathless.

“Wildcard, you have to see this!” She held up her phone. It was a terrible drawing of something that was probably meant to be an otter - she swiped her finger, going to the back of the page, showing a short signed message.

_‘You’re really pretty and a lot of fun. Let’s play again soon! Ren.’_

“Can you believe this?”

Ren smiled. He stood, holding up the drawing by ‘Kei-chan’, showing Ann the back. “I think I can, ‘Kei-chan’... Though, I can’t believe you actually signed your name like this.”

“And what about you? You used the character for ‘love’, not ‘lotus’.” Ann giggled, hugging Ren.

Ren kissed her forehead, laughing as he hugged her back. “It’s because the character for ‘love’ is easier to write than ‘lotus’, Songbird. Especially for a little kid. I think my parents didn’t correct me at first because they thought it was cute.”

Ann shook her head in wonder, looking at her phone again. “...This was the first thing a boy gave me, and it was from _you_. A drawing signed with ‘love’...”

“And this was the first thing a girl ever gave me, Songbird… A terrible drawing of fish in something that vaguely resembles an ocean.”

Ann snorted, playfully shoving Ren back. “Yours is just as bad, you--...Ren?”

Ren wiped at the tears in his eyes, smiling. “Ah… sorry. These sorts of things…”

Ann stepped into him again, hugging him again. “Don’t apologize, Wildcard. I’m happy, too. You only get one first love, after all…”

>>>

“So, Ren-chan, can you stay with Kei-chan’s grandma while I go and find Papa?”

Ren stopped coloring for a moment, looking up at his mother. “Did Papa get in trouble _again_?”

“Not _yet_. At least, not until I get there.” Inoue said, her smile growing tight for just a moment. She briefly wondered if the gift shop carried anything that remotely resembled a naginata. “I won’t be long, sweetheart.”

“Okay, Mama!”

Inoue moved off hurriedly.

“Yui-bachan? Can we please have something to drink?” Ann asked, smiling up at her ‘grandma’.

“Certainly, Kei-chan. I think I have some juice…”

Yui headed over to her bag, rummaging through her things.

Ann leaned over to peer at Ren’s drawing. “What’re you drawing, Ren-chan?”

“An otter. They’re my favorite.”

“Oh! They’re really cute.”

The two colored side by side, each of them kicking their legs in the air under the table. Ren peeked over at Ann’s head, covered by the baseball cap she wore.

“Do you like baseball?” Ren asked, curiously. 

“Not really.” Ann shook her head, continuing to color.

“Then why are you wearing that hat?”

Ann stopped coloring. She bit her lip, glancing anxiously at Ren. He was really nice, and she didn’t have a lot of friends.

“...Promise you won’t think I’m weird?”

“Promise.” Ren said, nodding earnestly. His parents taught him that promises were serious, like looking after his Mama when Papa was away.

Ann reached up, taking off her cap. Ren stared, surprised at the sight of naturally blonde hair, tied up in two short pigtails, each with a red ribbon. For some reason, his chest felt funny, and his face felt warm, like he had been out in the sun for too long.

“!! You’re staring! You think it’s weird!” Ann said, scrambling for her hat.

To Ren’s surprise, the sad sound in her voice _hurt_ him. He didn’t like that feeling, not at all. “No! I don’t! I… I think your hair’s really pretty! Just like you!”

“...Oh.” Ann paused. She didn’t put her hat back on; her cheeks were rosy. Eventually she returned to coloring; Ren followed her lead, doing the same. They kept giving each other sidelong glances, both giggling when they caught each other.

“Ne, Ren-chan?”

“Yeah?”

“Wanna trade pictures after we’re done? I really like your otter.”

“...Oh! Okay! I’ll work extra hard then!”

“Mm! Me too!”

Ren grinned. “This is fun. We should play again.”

“Yeah! After I come back.”

“Where are you going?”

“A whole other country. Mommy and Daddy said it isn’t forever, though.”

“Oh. Good. I’d be sad if it was. I like you.”

“Mm. I like you, too.”


End file.
